5 most clutch Minnesota Vikings players on the 2020 roster
By Dustin Baker
Harrison Smith – S
The five-time Pro Bowl Vikings safety does not have the homerun moments in clutch situations as a quarterback or a pass-catcher might, but Harrison Smith is demonic in the fourth quarter. Smith does his clutch things on the defensive side of the ball and to a purist onlooker of the sport, his antics are equally as memorable.
Since becoming a pro in 2012, Smith has thieved eight fourth-quarter interceptions. This is the third-most among active players behind Richard Sherman (10) and Duane Harmon (9).
Smith has also accounted for 98 fourth quarter tackles, which places him 12th in NFL. Although that may not sound astronomical, it is especially noteworthy because those besting him in this metric are mostly linebackers–like Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly.
He’s also chipped in four sacks in the fourth quarters of games and even added an insurance touchdown in a 2014 Week 1 game versus the Los Angeles Rams. It was an 81-yard pick-six.
Most importantly, six of Smith’s eight fourth-quarter picks have occurred when the score margin of the game is within 10 points.
His most apropos clutch interceptions seem to come against the Chicago Bears. Smith picked off Jay Cutler in a 2013 contest and Mitchell Trubisky in a 2017 Monday night game that just so happened to be Trubisky’s first career game.